The Hidden Side
by Okori Yo
Summary: Haunted by strange nightmares, Donna gets a lot more than she bargained for at her new job. Post-Journey's End, Spoilers for Torchwood Season Two in later chapters.
1. The Man

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Chapter 1: The Man

"Donna! Telephone call!" Donna looked up from her book and sighed, not wanting to get up and answer it. She had been on the phone all day, answering ads about various jobs and getting more frustrated as the day wore on.

"It better not be about a bloody 'free' vacation…." she grumbled, setting the book aside and stalking into the kitchen. Her mother stood there, holding the phone and looking rather smug. Giving her a 'get out' look, Donna grabbed the received and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Miss Donna Noble, I presume?" the voice on the other end was male with a light British accent, although it was not immediately clear from which part of Britain he was from.

"Yeah. May I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Edward Toreno, and I represent Satellite Industries." the man replied politely, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. Donna paused, momentarily confused. She had never sent an application to anyone by that name, nor even heard of the company he represented.

"Alright…" she replied slowly, still trying to figure out why he had called.

"An associate of mine who used to work at H.C. --- mentioned that you were a wonderful secretary, and suggested I give you a call."

"So you're offering me a job?"

"Yes, if you wish to work for us. And it won't be part-time either, we are willing to hire you for our full-time position."

"When can I start?" Donna asked, excited at the prospect of finally having steady work.

"Are you free tomorrow afternoon? I'll give you a tour around the building and explain the finer points of your contract."

"I'll be there!" Donna hung up after getting the address and his mobile number in case she needed to contact him, and walked back into the living room, feeling quite pleased with herself.

"Look at who now has an income! _I_ just landed a full-time job!" She boasted, giving her mother a triumphant glare. She had been putting up with Sylvia Noble's complaints about her not having work for two months now, and the woman was happy to prove her wrong.

"Congratulations, sweetheart!" her grandfather said, giving her a happy grin. Her mother nodded approvingly, adding, "I'm happy that you finally found a good job, Donna." Donna nodded in thanks and settled back down in her favourite chair, picked up her book and flipped to where she had left off.

- - -

Donna adjusted the mirror and tucked a few strands of hair back into place, feeling the excitement bubbling up inside of her. This was her first real job in over four months, and she was going to try her best not to screw up. A prolonged illness had left her with a case of amnesia that left her unable to remember anything from the day of her wedding. Over a year of memories had vanished, just like that.

The odd thing was that her mother and grandfather refused to say what had happed prior to the illness, or even say what type of disease had caused the memory loss. Donna could only speculate that it had something to do with Lance, seeing as how he was no longer around. She sometimes had strange dreams about travelling among the stars, but the woman brushed them off as being a side-effect of the mystery illness. Space travel was impossible, right?

Donna snorted and shook her head at the mere idea of seeing alien worlds. This wasn't _Star Trek_, it was real life, and that kind of thing certainly didn't happen. Getting out of the car, she locked it and looked around.

She was standing in a small parking lot that was jammed between an old brick building that looked about to cave in and a gleaming steel and concrete office block that looked brand new. Donna eyed the new building with interest, noting the array of satellites and antenna on the roof.

"Ms. Noble?" the soft voice coming from her right made her gasp and spin in that direction. Standing there was a pale man in a business suit, a warm smile on his face. Once she had nodded in acknowledgement, the man extended his right hand. "Glad you could make it. I'm Edward Toreno, but please, just call me Ed."

Donna returned his smile and shook his hand, still examining him. To say that he was pale was an understatement. His skin was practically translucent, and his short hair, beard, and moustache was pure white. Even his eyes were a pale blue colour. In contrast to his colourless skin and hair, his suit was a deep navy blue, with a lighter blue shirt underneath, a sky blue tie and black shoes completing the outfit. Wondering if he was some sort of weird albino, Donna feel into step beside him.

"Then call me Donna. So, is that Satellite Industries?" she asked, pointing at the shiny building they were walking towards. "It is indeed." Ed replied with a proud smile. "Satellite Industries, or SI for short, produces the next generation of home electronics. Everything from toasters to televisions roll out of our six factories, which are located in the UK and are staffed by residents living near the factories.

"This building is the headquarters for SI, and is completely separate from Britain's electricity grid. See those large antenna?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think they are for?" Donna stared up at the large metal objects for a few moments, then admitted, "Well, I figured that they were receivers or something. Y'know, like the old aerials people used to use to get TV signals."

"You're partially correct." Ed replied, chuckling at the surprised look on her face. "They are receivers, but they aren't picking up TV signals. No, they are receiving signals from _all_ of the electronic objects within 100 miles of here."

"What do you mean, 'all electronic objects'?"

"Computers, mobile phones, even lights that happen to be on. Anything that runs on electricity can be picked up by those antenna."

"And that gives you power how?"

"Everything that uses electricity as power emits a small cloud of unused or extra electrical particles around it. Ever since Edison's first light bulb lit up, this small cloud of extra electrical particles have surrounded all electrical objects. Even humans and other animals produce a small amount of extra electric particles, seeing as how our brains use a small amount of electricity to function.

"Before now, scientists had never investigated how to use these extra electric particles. There was no way to create a machine that would use 100% of the electricity given to make it run, so the extra particles were left where they were."

"But your company figured out how to use them."

"Exactly. Those antenna draw in the extra electrical particles, then convert them to energy which we use to power not only this building but also all of the factories." Ed fell silent as they entered the large lobby of the building and crossed to an elevator and stepped inside.

"That's…amazing. So since I produce a small amount of electricity, that means I'm giving you power, right?"

"Yep, everyone in this building is helping to keep the lights on, so to speak. Now, I can only take you up to the fourth floor for security reasons, but it'll give you a good idea of how much work you're going to have to do."

"Oh, don't worry about it, I'm the best temp in Chiswick! Hard work is my middle name!" Laughing, Ed lead the way out of the elevator and began to talk about the floor that they were currently on.


	2. The Alien

Chapter 2: The Alien

"Just sit back and relax, Donna. This won't take long."

"It better not, 'cause I want to enjoy my coffee break!" Donna said with a light chuckle as she leaned back and breathed deeply. She was now two weeks into her new job at Satellite Industries, and was enjoying the light working conditions and friendly manner of her co-workers.

"Trust me, the coffee pot will still be full when you get back." Ed had called her down to one of the basement laboratories "to run a simple test", as he had put it. The test turned out to be a way to monitor a person's electrical activity in the brain, and was something that all employees had to get done. Two electrodes had been stuck to Donna's temples, and thin wires connected them to a machine that displayed the results.

Ed was sitting across from her, pale blue eyes fixed on the machine's monitor, while a technician made sure all the equipment was running smoothly.

"Interesting…" he muttered, leaning forward and typing on the keyboard attached to the machine. Donna raised and eyebrow, but remained silent. As she watched Ed's face, she thought she saw a strange expression flick across it, but she just brushed it off as speculation.

"Everything ok?" she asked after a few moments.

"Hmm? Oh, everything's fine. I just thought I saw something, but it must have been a random neuron firing."

"C'mon, I wanna see what my brainwaves look like! You _did_ promise." Donna said with a slight pout, after another minute of silence .

"Alright…but it'll make no sense to you." Ed replied with a smile, pressing a few keys and spinning the monitor around so she could see the results. Donna saw several rows of squiggly lines displayed on the screen, colour-coded with dots marking certain points.

"Looks complicated."

"Yes, it is quite complex. Basically, all you have to know is that everything is normal."

"That's good."

"Indeed. Also…" the man paused to twist to monitor back to him, peering closely at the screen, "I think I see something that is indicating your brain is coffee-deprived, so I better let you out before you go nuts from lack of caffeine and start destroying the lab." Ed said with a smirk, motioning for the technician to remove the electrodes.

"Very funny, Ed." Donna replied, pulling a face. Grinning back, he rose and walked her to the door. "Thanks for dropping by on your break, Donna. Now, go before the coffee runs out."

"Ha ha ha." Sticking out her tongue at the pale man, she then smiled and walked towards the elevator.

- - -

"No!" Donna woke up with a yell, chest heaving. Sitting up, she untangled the sheets from around her body, then sighed. Another one of her strange dreams had happened, this one involving a giant wasp and a murderer on the loose at a country estate. She had been in a room, looking for clues about the most recent murder with a ridiculously large magnifying glass when a giant wasp had burst in through the window and had flew right at her.

Donna shivered at the thought and ran a hand through her hair. But compared to her other dreams, that one was tame. Giant rock men, killer shadows, and talking tin cans that shot electricity out of a plunger were just some of the things that haunted her dreams. A faceless man who wore a suit and called her name was sometimes present in those dreams, but only rarely.

Shaking her head, the woman tried to calm down so she could go back to sleep, but jumped when her mobile phone started to ring. Wondering who would be calling so late at night (or so early in the morning, since it was past midnight), Donna quickly grabbed it and flicked it open. "Hello?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you up, but it's important."

"It's alright, Ed. I was awake anyway."

"Night owl, eh?"

"Something like that. So, what is so important that you'd call in the middle of the night?"

"One of the computers when haywire and printed out a whole bunch of incorrect invoices, then crashed. We haven't been able to get it booted back up, and it holds all of the invoice files. We do have a back-up disc with the files, but we recently changed the format of our invoices so the files are out-of-date. And we're sending out a big order in the morning, and need those invoices to be correct."

"Basically, you're in a jam and need a fast typist to do up some correct invoices?"

"Yes, pretty much. We'll pay you double over-time if you come in."

"Sure, but I was already planning on coming in anyway. See you in a bit."

"Thanks, Donna. I owe you one." Smirking, Donna flipped the phone shut and scrambled out of bed. Luckily for Ed, she was an incredibly fast typist, so she should have everything squared away by the time the company opened. "What would they do without me?" she muttered.

- - -

Dona came to slowly, trying to piece together what had happened. She had pulled into the parking lot at Satellite Industries, gotten out of the car, and had just turned towards the building when something had hit her on the head from behind. The blow had knocked her out, as well as probably leaving a nasty bump. Whoever did this was going to get an earful from her!

Opening her eyes cautiously, she blinked and gasped.

"Finally returned to the land of the living?" Ed asked, standing over her with a pleasant smile on his face. Speechless, Donna tried to sit up, but couldn't.

"Why…why am I tied up?" she asked, staring to get angry at whatever cruel joke Ed was pulling.

"Because I'd rather you didn't attack me." Ed answered crisply, smirking at her repeated attempts to move.

"Fine. 'Cause whatever you're playing at, I don't like it! Now let me go!" she snapped, glaring at him.

"Oh, you are not going anywhere, Donna Noble. I have you right where I want you…helpless, alone, and confused."

"So…there was no emergency."

"Nope. Although the company does have a large order going out later this morning."

"What do you need me for, then?!"

"Remember the brainwave test? I faked the results. Your brain is anything but normal, and I want to find out why."

Donna gaped at him, struggling to understand what was happening and why it was happening to her. Tears filled her eyes as she realized Ed probably didn't care what pain she was about to go through.

"But…why me? I'm nothing special, just a secretary." she asked, voice trembling as she tried not to cry.

"You're not even that. You, Donna, are nothing more than a temp who just happens to be go with a keyboard. Goodness knows, your personality and looks don't do much."

Donna sniffed, biting her lip at Ed's words. The pale man had already attached several electrodes to her temples, and was now easing some sort of helmet onto her head. Stepping back, he narrowed his eyes and studied her, then nodded. "That should be enough for now." he murmured, walking away to sit at a laptop. Donna could just make out something blue and glowing resting on the table beside the laptop, but had no clue as to what it was.

"Time to learn the truth. Enjoy!" Donna's entire body stiffened as a wave of pain coursed through her, straining against the straps that held her down. Her head felt like it was on fire, but she couldn't even draw a breath to scream as the pain increased. She let out a faint moan when the pain stopped, but her relief was short-lived as her body arched again. This time, she did scream, a loud screech that could probably be heard throughout the building. Not that there was anyone to her it.

Donna kept screaming as the torture continued, the pressure inside her brain mounting alongside the agony. Finally, when it felt like she would endure no more, her mind simply exploded, and a rush of sound and images threatened to overwhelm her. Faintly, she heard Ed yelling in triumph, then saw a deep blue cloud roll towards her. Right before she fainted, Donna felt her body go cold and her world turn blue.

- - -

Donna groaned as she regained consciousness yet again, glad that the pain had finally stopped. But what was that strange blue cloud she had seen? And why had her body gone ice cold?

Opening her eyes, she swore viciously and stared in shock. All around her was unending blackness, except for two spots that hovered a few feet in front of her face. They were like windows, oval-shaped and showing what was on the other side of the blackness. Donna was also tightly bound to a hard object, arms stretched out on either side while her feet hung downwards. "Great, I'm mimicking Jesus." the woman muttered angrily, noting the similarities between her current pose and the image of Jesus nailed to the cross.

"Couldn't you have gotten me a more attractive body?" Donna froze, eyes wide. It sounded like…her voice. But she hadn't spoken that words.

"What's going on?" she asked nervously, not at all sure she wanted to know the answer. The view through the windows shifted, turning from side to side until they focused on an object.

"Oh my God…" Donna breathed, hardly believing her eyes. She was seeing _herself_. Her body, acting on its own, arranging her tousled hair and smacking her lips as she peered into the mirror.

"It's not my fault that she's not pretty." Ed muttered from off to the side. "Besides, I went through all the work finding the right person."

"True enough. But still, she's not exactly a model host for one of my rank. Still, it'll have to do. Right now, it's her insides that matter more that her outside look." Donna heard herself say.

"Oh? Do explain, O mighty one." Ed replied sarcastically.

"What the hell is going on?!" she shouted, frightened and angry at the same time. Chuckling, her body answered both questions.

"I, the last surviving member of the Family of Chi, have sought to find a host worthy of my high-born status. It has taken me many centuries of waiting, but I have finally claimed a body equal to my superior mind. And what a body it is.

"This plain little human body contains a mind that shouldn't exist. Since the power of such a mind was too much for her body to handle, something caused it to be sealed away, along with all of the memories and knowledge it held. It was an impressive mind-block, but the mind still produced a massive amount of electrical energy even though it wasn't being used. Your primitive scanner picked this up, and you duly passed the information along to me."

"Get to the point!" Ed snapped, looking irritated.

"Very well. This host is home to a Time Lord's mind, something that should be impossible. Technicalities aside, I have now claimed total control over both the human body and the Time Lord's mind. The host's human mind still exists, but I have blocked all access to the Time Lord mind. She is nothing more than an unwilling observer now."

"Time Lord…" Ed muttered, scowling at the words.

"Yes, Time Lord. Editor, it has been a long day for you, and I need time to adjust to my new body. Shall we get some rest?"

Donna gazed out through her own eyes at the man who had done this to her, perplexed by the name the Chi alien had called him. "Editor? What kind of name is that?" she muttered softly, suddenly overwhelmed by what had occurred. She was a prisioner in her own body, unable to communicate with anyone. A sob shuddered through her as she dropped her head. What was going to happen to her now? And what was so important about this Time Lord's mind?

"I just want to go home…" she whispered, her tears falling into the unending darkness beneath her feet.


	3. The Seer

Chapter 3: The Seer

"Now that I have a functioning body again, care to tell me what this is all about?" the alien that was controlling her body and mind asked. Ed (Donna still couldn't bring herself to think of him as the Editor) gave a secretive smile and leaned back in his chair.

"I suppose you have waited a while…" he mused, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck. It was a few days after Donna had become a prisioner in her own body, and she was slowly adjusting to her new reality.

"Oh, just a few centuries of floating about in the Void, but that just flew by." the Chi alien replied, sarcasm tingeing her words. Ed merely smirked and answered the original question.

"Although I told you when we first met that I came up with the idea for Satellite Industries, I didn't. It was the idea of the employer I work for, in fact. He wishes to control all Britain, but he needed some help to get a company started that would act as a cover. That's where I come in, seeing as I have past experience in managing a large organization. Since the company is now firmly established, I've been ordered to start planning an operation that would bring down part of the power structure that keeps the country going. And since you now have knowledge that spans that universe, I was hoping you might help me."

"You're asking _me _for help?" the alien asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

"Hm-mmm."

"Well, since you put it so flatteringly…it would give me a good opportunity to use some of the ideas the Time Lord's mind has gathered over the eons. I agree."

"Excellent! I knew I could count on you." Ed replied, smiling broadly. "Now, what ideas does that wonderful mind of yours hold?"

- - -

"Bloody hell…" Donna muttered a short time later, still stunned by the plan Ed and the alien had concocted. They were going to attempt to disrupt Britain's communications network, something that was sure to bring the nation to a grinding halt. By sabotaging the major news stations that broadcasted all over Britain, the government would be thrown into a state of confusion, not to mention the majority of the civilian population. Once the major television networks were down, it would only be a matter of time before radio and internet broadcasts were taken over as well.

"It's not fair. What did Britain ever do to these guys?" she mumbled, feeling powerless to change the situation. There was still the lingering question of where she got a Time Lord's mind from, but the woman was unable to answer that too. Far too many questions, not enough answers.

Ignoring the images of daily life that passed by a few feet in front of her, Donna clenched her teeth and strained against the thick ropes that held her bound in such a tasteless manner. But she was still unable to loosen them, and remained trapped inside her own body. She doubted she could free herself by next week, when the first stage of the takeover plan was set to begin. Even so, Donna wasn't the type to give up, especially when her country was at stake.

"Going somewhere?" the question jerked Donna's thoughts back into reality, and she gazed outwards to see what was going on. Evidently, some time had passed between the meeting and now, because the parking lot was in shadow and only a few employees' cars remained.

Standing in front of her was a man in a military trench coat, staring hard at Donna. Present in the shadows behind him were several other people, all standing tense as they watched the confrontation before them.

"I will be, once you move out of my way." the alien responded, sounding slightly irritated at the sudden intrusion.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen." the man replied, showing no signs of being truly apologetic. "Do you have any idea why we're here?"

"Yes, in fact, I do." Donna imagined that her face was now smiling coldly to match the frosty tone of her voice, so frowned in silent rebellion at her captivity. "Your little group is called Torchwood, and you're the leader, Captain Jack Harkness himself. It's an honour to meet you again, _sir_."

Donna stared, confused. Something tugged at the back of her mind, a half-remembered dream with a man who might have been Jack, but the thought slid away as she focused on it. What was going on?

"I see…" Captain Jack muttered, and the woman saw steely resolve form on his face.

"What's going on, Jack? I thought her mind had been wiped." one of his companions asked, the voice revealing its owner to be female, and Welsh as well.

"Things must have changed between now and then." Jack replied coolly, taking a step forward and gesturing towards the building behind Donna. "Please Donna, don't be like this. This…plan that you're a part of, nothing but trouble will come out of it. Leave with us now, and I can guarantee that you will remain safe."

The alien controlling her snorted with contempt. "Of course…I should have guessed that you would find out eventually. Although, I must admit, you got here much more quickly than I expected. But I'm not the person you remember, Jack. Things are about to change, and I want to be a part of it."

"Donna…" Jack's pleading voice trailed off upon realizing that it wouldn't do any good to beg, then the man sighed. "Is there anything I can do to get you to change your mind?"

"No. Now go away and get back to your _real _job, Captain." Jack frowned at the sarcastic tone, but chose not to respond. Instead, he turned to the group behind him and spoke softly to them before leading them away. Donna watched them go, her mind buzzing with unanswered questions. Who were those people? And how had they learned about the plan the alien and her former boss had?

"Annoying bugs…" the alien muttered angrily as she walked back to Donna's car and slid inside. "I'll have to make sure that they won't pull another stunt like that again."

"Just you try, Sunshine! I'm sure those people will be back, and next time they'll get rid of you!!" Donna shouted in response, not caring that her comments would go unheard. Frowning, she added softly, "Whoever they are…"

- - -

"So Torchwood tried to rescue you? How noble of them." The was the next morning, and Ed and the alien were standing in the lift, chatting.

"I suppose that's way to see it. They're just irritants to me, nothing more. I want you to assign someone to keep and eye on those meddling pests until our plans are complete." the woman responded, and Donna had a sense that she was frowning in annoyance.

"Perhaps. But may I remind you that I am in charge here, and thus do not take orders from you?"

"Hmph…very well. Could you please send a staff member to keep track of Torchwood?"

"In that case, of course I will." Ed responded with a rather smug grin, then stepped out of lift as the doors opened and added, "Come with me, please. We have a visitor arriving shortly."

Curious, Donna watched intently as her body followed the human down the corridor, into his office, and sat down in a comfortable chair.

"Who is this visitor?" the alien asked, sounding just as interested as the bound human was.

"Someone who said that they could help us in any way required." the other replied, adjusting his tie slightly before rising.

"Indeed, I feel I could be of great help." a voice said from behind Donna. Gasping, the Chi family member twisted around in her seat to stare at the speaker. An elderly gentleman stood a few feet away, looking not the least bit surprised by the reaction he had just received. He had neatly combed silver-grey hair that was fading to white at the temples and his eyes were a pale blue shade. The outfit he wore was similar to something Donna had once seen in an antique clothing shop: a white button-up shirt with an up-turned collar, a cravat that was deep a red colour and covered in small white spots, a black old-fashioned jacket with matching dress pants, and a pair of modern brown leather shoes.

"Who are you?" the alien asked, sounding surprised at his sudden arrival and odd appearance.

"My name is Bilis Manger, and I believe I can help you." the elderly man replied, his calm tone betraying no emotion.

"And why would I want to accept help from another useless human?" was the snapped response.

"Bilis is no ordinary human. He has…a certain talent…that could be quite useful to our cause." Ed interrupted, earning a snort from the alien.

"I possess the ability to move from one location to another simply by thinking about it." Bilis explained, probably sensing that another rude comment concerning his species was about to be aired.

"Really…" the woman murmured, and Donna could practically hear the gears grinding as this new information was processed. "I suppose you might be of some use, then. Come sit down and we'll inform you of our latest plans."

Bilis merely nodded politely at the offer and moved to sit in a free chair. Smiling slightly, Ed leaned forward and began to outline the details of the plot they had concocted.

- - -

Donna woke up with a gasp, certain that someone had called her name. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she looked straight ahead, surprised to see that the alien who held her captive was also awake.

A sound from the corner of the room made the captor look in that direction, but nothing could be seen in the shadows. Sighing, the woman shook her head and prepared to go back to sleep.

"_Sleep and forget…_" a faint whisper caused her to look up again, just in time to see the oval windows vanish as the alien suddenly closed her eyes. Mystified, Donna was about to close her own eyes when Bilis faded into existence directly in front of her.

"W-what?" the woman stammered, shocked by his sudden and unexpected arrival. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he remained silent as he examined her bonds.

"What the hell do you want?" she snarled, more frightened than angry at the man.

"I wish to help you, Donna." Bilis replied simply.

"But why? You're working with Ed and that Chi alien…aren't you?" Donna added after a moment, a thought suddenly having struck her. She recalled that during the briefing earlier that morning Bilis had frowned slightly on several occasions, but the captive human hadn't paid much attention to them at the time. But perhaps the old man standing before her wasn't quite as happy with the plot as he had appeared to be.

"You don't like the plan they have, do you?" she asked softly, still not fully getting why Bilis was here.

"Correct, although I prefer to use the words 'absolutely hate' instead of 'don't like' myself. I assume you want to know why I cam to see you?"

"Yeah. But how did you get past her mind-block?"

"Oh, that was simple enough." Bilis replied dismissively. "The mind-block was set up only to ensure you didn't escape from inside it, so there was no protection against an outside mind who wanted to get in."

"Then won't you be trapped in here as well?" Donna asked, still trying to grasp the foreign concepts that her visitor was explaining.

"Nonsense! Since I got in easily enough, I will be able to exit by the same way. The Chi Family may be good at some things, but mind techniques is not one of them." Bilis replied tartly, looking mildly insulted.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" the woman murmured awkwardly in the silence that followed.

"It's quite alright. Now, as you may have guessed, I possess some other abilities that I forgot to mention this morning, but I won't go into detail about them now." Donna smirked, knowing full well that the elderly man had done nothing of the sort. She now suspected that it had been Bilis who had spoken right before he had appeared.

"I didn't fully explain one of my powers this morning. It's true that I can move from location to location with ease, but I can also move through time in the same way. It's like going from one room into another simply by taking a single step, which otherwise might have taken fifty or a hundred steps to accomplish. Do you understand?"

"I think so." Donna said slowly, a bit dazed by the fact that he could travel in time.

"Good. Now, to the reason why I came here: I sometimes get glimpses of different possible futures, futures that may or may not occur. Normally, I see a possible future once, perhaps twice before it becomes impossible to take place. Unfortunately, half of the futures I see now deal with the impending takeover of Britain by Satellite Industries, with the other half showing a calm, free Britain.

"Donna, I want that free Britain to be the only future that takes place. I've seen what would happen if this comany gains control of this country - I saw a similar future taking place a year ago, with devastating consequences for the entire world. That must not happen again. You may not remember it Donna, but you saved the world once, not that long ago. I need you to do it again."

"But…" Donna trailed off, not entirely sure how to respond. Her, save the world? It sounded incredible, like something out of one of her dreams. But she could tell by the intense look in the old man's eyes that he spoke the truth. Bilis believed that she could save the world again, and although the woman had her doubts, she wasn't about to let him down.

"Okay. I don't care what it takes, but I'm gonna make sure that future you saw doesn't happen." she finally said, lifting her chin up and staring into Bilis' blue eyes. "But first, I need to be in control of my own body again. Could you help me with that?"

"Of course. Unfortunately, I can't cut all the memory strings that are binding you now, but I can sever one of them." Stepping forward, the elderly gentleman removed a small knife from an inner pocket of his jacket and deftly cut one of the ropes that had helped restrained her right arm. It fell away easily, vanishing into the infinite darkness beneath their feet.

"There. Every time I visit, I'll cut away another memory string. That way, her control on you will slowly weaken, hopefully without her noticing-"

"And then I'll be able to break free and kick her out of my head." Donna finished, frowning in anger at how the alien had treated her.

"Precisely. Now, I must take my leave of you, Donna, but we will talk again soon."

"Sounds good to me! Thanks, Bilis." she replied, giving him a grateful smile. Bilis nodded in return and gave a short bow before vanishing.

Donna stared at the spot where he had stood, wishing that they could have talked longer. Sighing, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, content with the thought that she wasn't alone anymore.

- - -

**Author's Notes:** For those of you who aren't familliar with him, Bilis Manger is from the last few episodes of Torchwood Season 1. I've also expanded his powers a bit - the episodes in which he appeared didn't outline the full extent of his abilities, so I decided to play with them a bit.


End file.
